Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Al Horford, asked to be the star, has been up for the challenge

BOSTON -- In a sports landscape where the conversation lacks any nuance (or the attention-span to find nuance), it was inevitable that Boston Celtics big man Al Horford would be criticized.

After all, Gordon Hayward excepted, Horford is Boston's highest-paid player. On a team full of explosive athletes, incredible potential and some of the most spectacular highlights in the league, Horford was always going to be overshadowed and thus undervalued. How does a well-set screen draw any attention in comparison to the Kyrie Irving double-cross spin move into a floater that follows it? How does a well-timed outlet pass shine when it leads to a glittering one-hand Jaylen Brown tomahawk?

But Al Horford is brilliant. In a postseason full of silver linings, one of the biggest has been the thorough and total silencing of his loudest critics, all of whom are desperately looking for attention which we will not give them in this space.

The Celtics don't advance past the Milwaukee Bucks without Horford torching Milwaukee's overmatched big men. They might not take a game off the Philadelphia 76ers without Horford putting the absolute clamps on Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. And they almost certainly don't take a 2-0 lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers without Horford's dominance against Kevin Love.

That couldn't have been more evident in the final minutes of Tuesday's Game 2. With the Celtics up eight, Horford slipped a pick-and-roll and sprang free. Marcus Smart lobbed him a pass, but Horford was shoved in the back by J.R. Smith and tumbled to the floor.

After a brief skirmish that resulted in double technicals on Smart and Smith and a flagrant foul on Smith, Horford stepped to the line and made both free throws. On the ensuing possession, he got Love on a post-up. Horford held the ball away from Love, wiped his sweaty hands on his jersey, and proceeded to smash his way to the rim for a layup plus the foul. He missed the free throw, but the four-point possession gave the Celtics a 12-point lead. The damage was done.

"That's why Al gets paid the big bucks," Jaylen Brown said. "We lean on Al in those tough moments. And he really went to work. Hitting some big free throws, made some big post-ups, hit the 3. Al, when it gets close to crunch time, we look towards Al to make some big plays."

Throughout the season, the Celtics have asked Horford to perform a variety of roles. At times, he has been a glue guy -- facilitating for the team's stars. At times, he has been the team's unofficial dad -- Brad Stevens has talked at length about how Horford's example both as a basketball player and as a family man has been important for the young Celtics.

Now, with Irving and Hayward out for the postseason, Horford has shouldered a new responsibility: Team superstar. Once again, he is more than up for the challenge.

That's not to say Horford has suddenly become a 30-point triple-double machine. But he has become a focal point of the offense as the Celtics go to a mismatch-heavy style of basketball. The Celtics' postseason offense runs through actions in order to hunt defenders with superior offensive options. Often, that has meant Horford in the post.

And Horford has delivered. Through three rounds, his 1.20 points per possession on post-ups (which make up 30.3 percent of his offense) is fairly astounding and would have made him the most efficient post-up option in the league during the regular season. Meanwhile, he's spacing the floor to the 3-point line with his pick-and-pops (36.4 percent, although the threat of him is greater than that), attacking closeouts and putting together the type of versatile defensive performance Stevens values perhaps above anything.

Next season, Horford's role will likely shift once again. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward will likely be back, and both will shoulder a significant amount of the scoring load. Brown and Jayson Tatum are both clearly ready for more responsibilities as well, and this year has given them valuable reps as future stars. Horford won't need to be the go-to option late in a playoff game.

But now we have evidence -- with receipts -- that Horford's stardom is directly tied to his role. As the best player and leader on the 2017-18 Celtics playoff roster, Horford has helped lift the team within two games of the NBA Finals, winning a pair of games against LeBron James. Boston's youth is ahead of its years, but when the Celtics needed a late bucket in the Eastern Conference finals, they went to their veteran big man. As he tends to do, Horford gave the Celtics exactly what they need.

If the Celtics need Horford to be a role player, he will be a role player. If they need him to be a star, he will be a star. That's why he's paid the big bucks.